The ACCC is seeking submissions for its Google, Facebook inquiry

The competition watchdog is now taking submissions from the public as part of its inquiry into Google and Facebook’s impact on media and advertising.

In December 2017 the Australian Government directed the ACCC to conduct a public inquiry into the impact of digital platforms on competition in media and advertising services markets, in particular in relation to the supply of news and journalistic content.

Consumers, media organisations, digital platforms, advertising agencies and advertisers have until 3 April 2018 to provide their views to the ACCC and a preliminary report will be released in December 2018.

As part of this inquiry, the ACCC said it will use its compulsory information gathering powers to obtain information from digital platforms and media organisations that is not publicly available.

The ACCC is seeking feedback on:

Whether digital platforms have bargaining power in their dealings with media content creators, advertisers or consumers and the implications of that bargaining power.

How technological change and digital platforms have changed the media and advertising services markets, and the way consumers access news.

The extent to which consumers understand what data is being collected about them by digital platforms, and how this information is used.

How the use of algorithms affects the presentation of news for digital platform users.

“Digital platforms like Google and Facebook are part of the sweeping technological and cultural changes overhauling the media landscape in Australia and globally,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said.

“While these technological changes have brought many benefits for consumers, this inquiry will have a particular focus on examining whether the changes affect the quality and range of news supplied to Australian consumers.”

“Considering the longer term impacts of digital platforms and the ability of traditional media to remain financially viable will also be key to understanding the media and advertising markets,” Sims said.

“Our aim is also to understand better the digital platforms’ business models and how they operate behind the scenes, and the evolving nature of the way consumers search for and receive news in Australia. We are particularly interested in the extent to which digital platforms curate news and journalistic content.”

The ACCC must provide a preliminary report to the Treasurer by 3 December 2018 and a final report by 3 June 2019. More info here.

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